Sleep Blog

THIS IS A KEEPER TO REFER TO NOW THAT THE H1N1 FLU is about to be upon us. We need to be on top of it, with regards to information and preparedness.

Here is a comparison of H1N1 virus symptoms to those of normal cold symptoms.

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Tags: aches and pains, chest discomfort, chills, dry cough, epidemic, fever, flu symptoms, H1N1, headache, high fever, non-mucus producing cough, non-productive cough, pandemic, sneezing, stuffy nose, swine flu, tiredness

Royal Philips Electronics today showcased the next generation Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System at Medtrade 2009, a conference and expo for the home medical equipment industry.

The arrival of the new product line brings advances in sleep apnea therapy, the manufacturer says, that will benefit millions of sleep apnea sufferers, as well as bring new solutions to healthcare providers trying to meet today’s healthcare challenges.

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Tags: bi-level positive airway pressure, BiPAP, change prescriptions, Cheyne-Stokes Respiration, compliance, continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP, diagnostic equipment, Digital Auto-Trak algorithm, emulate natural breathing, EncoreAnywhere, Flex Family, full-face masks, healthcare challenges, healthcare providers, home healthcare market, nasal masks, patient compliance, patient flow waveform data, patient outcomes, periodic breathing, Philips Respironics, Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System, potentially life-threatening condition, pressure relief, resistance characteristics, respiratory events, room humidity, room temperature, Royal Philips Electronics, sleep apnea sufferers, sleep management, stop breathing repeatedly during sleep, System One Humidity Control, System One Resistance Control, therapy compliance, therapy data

Many people with sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea, suffer a variety of other health conditions, including diabetes. As a result of the other health conditions, people with obstructive sleep apnea often find themselves battling associated and related health issues, including those such as cellulitis, which may lead to blood stream infections.

The performance of a new diagnostic test platform that rapidly identifies Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, “staph”) bacteremia and determines antibiotic resistance or susceptibility in as little as five hours was presented at the 109^th General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology in Philadelphia, PA this week.

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Tags: antibiotic resistance, bacteremia, better health outcomes, blood stream infections, bloodstream infections, BSI, cellulitis, clinical microbilogy laboratories, Diabetes, Drew Smith Ph.D, early antibiotic therapy adjustment, health conditions, health issues, hospitalization costs, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Julie D. Kingery M.D., lower pharmacy costs, medical therapy, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus, MicroPhage, MRSA, MSSA, obstructive sleep apnea, Sleep Disorders, staph, staphylococci, Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus aureus

While President Barack Obama is seeing “glimmers of hope” in the economy, most people in the country are dealing with real life. Real life is where people work to earn their money, not simply have "expense accounts” awarded to them for entertainment, travel, and whatnot.

President Obama currently earns $400,000 per year, along with a $50,000 expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account and $19,000 for entertainment. That’s a total of $569,000, something the “average” American citizen doesn’t get per year — especially the non-taxable money.

So, while Obama may see glimmers of the pots of glimmering coinage he’s getting for being the most current resident to live in and use the services of the White House, most of us aren’t seeing too many glimmers.

Many are looking just for light at the end of the tunnel and hoping to make it to next month without any financial disaster, while a lot of folks hope they don’t get hit with some new fee the credit card gurus dream up to charge before Washington possibly takes steps to protect consumers from gouging, conniving, thieving credit card issuers.

The rest of the reality in the country today is with people focusing their attention on keeping — or getting — a job. On April 3, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a press release about the nation’s employment situation. It stated 694,000 people lost their jobs in March 2009, bringing the total number of unemployed Americans to 13.2 million, which took the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent.

A helping hand reaches out from the gloom

FranklinCovey, a company focused on time management, personal success and achievement, and productivity, is extending a helping hand to people who have lost their jobs. The company is giving away free 2009 FranklinCovey planners to those who found themselves holding a pink slip rather than a paycheck. For people with apnea, short-term memory loss is often an issue, so this would be the perfect tool to help complement (or would it be to supplement – or both?) your memory.

According to a press release issued  by the company, “Our last Leg Up Campaign was so helpful, we’re running the event again today and tomorrow,” which would be Friday, April 24, 2009, and Saturday, April 25, 2009.

“Have you recently lost your job or know someone who has? We know looking for a new position can become a full-time job, and we’d like to help,” according to the press release.”

How to get the free 2009 FranklinCovey planner

To qualify for the free 2009 free FranklinCovey planner, you must provide the name of your former employer, your supervisor’s name, and the date you were laid off.

So how do get the planner? Simply drop by any of the FranklinCovey Retail Store around the country today or tomorrow. Specific products and availability differ per store, the company noted in the press release.

If you don’t live near a FranklinCovey Retail Store, simply call the FranklinCovey Call Center on Friday only between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. (MST). The company will be able to ship a planner to you, but you will have to help pay for the shipping. The FranklinCovey Call Center is closed on Saturday.

To contact the Call Center on Friday, please call 1-800-654-1776.

For FranklinCovey Retail Store locations, see here.

FranklinCovey wants to help those who have recently lost their job get a leg up during these recessionary times, so join us this Friday and Saturday at a FranklinCovey store near you!

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Tags: 2009 planner, day planner, downsized, Franklin planner, FranklinCovey, free FranklinCovey 2009 Planner, job loss, laid off, Leg Up Campaign, pink slip, productivity, success, time management

Older men with higher levels of fat appear more likely to experience declines in cognitive function over seven years, but the same association does not appear to occur in older women. Alka M. Kanaya, M.D., of the University of California–San Francisco, and colleagues studied 3,054 elderly individuals enrolled in the Health ABC Study.

Participants’ adiposity (fat level) was assessed by body mass index, waist circumference, sagittal diameter (distance between the back and the highest point of the abdomen), total fat mass and subcutaneous (beneath the skin) and visceral fat (fat between the internal organs) measured by computed tomography.

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Tags: adiposity, body mass index, Cognitive Function, elderly men, Health ABC Study, older men, older women, sex hormones, waist circumference